The team plays at the so-called "Theatre of Dreams."
Paras Rai/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

The home of famed soccer club Manchester United used to be the people's palace.

Now it's full of the monied and munificent who go to its stadium, Old Trafford, to bask in the reflection of success.

Perhaps that's why the club has decided to add many fancy gadgets to its list of banned items at the stadium.

Please get your tape measure out, because any device bigger than 150mm x 100 mm is verboten. Specifically, this means "iPads or other tablet devices and laptops are now prohibited," according to the club.

The club's message to its supporters cited "latest security intelligence." One wonders whether part of this intelligence might include the fact that larger devices would be used to record games and, by their very largeness, to annoy those seated behind the people holding the large devices.

It's instructive that cell phones don't appear to be on the list, perhaps because it would be impossible to enforce such a regulation. Old Trafford has a capacity of 75,731.

About the author

Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world.
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